I Fell In Love with a Skeleton
by TheDeliquent9
Summary: There are stages before Happily Ever After- and not all of them are happy. Valduggery. Get ready for the angst angst angst :P Review. SPOILERS FOR DEATH BRINGER. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Will be a two or three chapter story. I wanted to cause some tension between our favourite couple.**

"Stay" she said. Her voice was small and quiet but her grip on his sleeve was strong as she held him back, an arm out stretched from where she lay in the bed. He looked back at her and she wished she could read the expression behind those bones. He turned back to the window.

"I know you've had a rough few days but I don't think your parents will commend me sleeping in the same bed as you" he said trying to end it with a light tone. But they both knew what this was about. They had known for a few days now.

He motioned to leave reclaiming the sleeve but she held on.

"Please" she said, desperation silent but evident on her face. His shoulders sagged as if he was sighing.

For a moment there was silence but his hand on the window sill relaxed and he turned around.

"Okay"

Slowly, reluctantly- or was it anxiously? he climb into the bed leaving his shoes on the ground. Valkyrie shuffled over to give him space.

He lay there on his back and she couldn't believe that he was so close. Laying her side she looked at him- but he didn't look back. She closed her eyes moving a bit to make herself a bit more comfortable. When she opened them again he hadn't moved, silent and unwavering.

She wanted to stretch an arm out, to wrap it around him but self consciousness stopped her. She wanted to know, how would it feel to be held in those arms?

_Do it _ said an inner voice _What chance will you ever get but this?_

Cautiously she reached out. Over the skeletal frame, inching herself closer.

A bony hand grabbed her wrist quickly.

"No" he said firmly and sat up.

She started to withdraw but tried again.

"Why?" she asked, surprised by the hoarseness of her voice.

"Because it's wrong" he answered try to force her hand back- but there was a lack of effort in the motion which she picked up on- so she tried harder.

"How is it wrong?"

She was biting back tears now.

"It will never work"

"Who says?"

"I do. So stop it- stop it now"

"You can't change my feelings"

"But I can do what's best for you"

"But that's not what I want"

"Stop being childish" his voice was frustrated.

"I love you"

"No you don't!" his voice raised but he quickly lowered it. Valkyrie wished he hadn't it only made her crying seem louder. This was going wrong all so wrong.

"You don't want this" he continued, "You don't want what I have to give Valkyrie. It's not just a life of thrills of adventures. It's a life of fear and uncertaincy"

He paused to look at her. Her arm was easy to move back now.

"A life without the warmth of human touch, without any sort of normality... without children"

"I don't care"

"Yes you do. I'm Lord Vile Valkyrie, I'm a murderer, I am not a good guy. And you want normality. Normality is good for you"

"Lord Vile is the past"

"Not as much as we'd like"

"You love me. I know you do"

"I don't love you" the voice was cold and stiff.

She wondered how much truth was in it, what were the expressions he'd be using if he had a face.

He stood up and went to the window.

"I'm sorry" he said.

Valkyrie closed her eyes. _No _she thought.

When she opened them he was gone.

Ghastly stood over the bench preparing his tea. He through the tea bag away and leaned on the bench.

"So why are you avoiding her" he asked. Skulduggery was leaning on another part of bench.

"I just rejected a young girl who is in a very emotional stage" Skulduggery answered.

"Well it was bound to happen" Ghastly commented and he wonder why he was playing mentor all of a sudden to many different people about their love life. Hell the girl he loved was running around with a prisoner escapee, what did he actually know about love? Maybe because he wasn't being active in it at the moment that he could give a clear opinion.

"Not this soon" Skulduggery said with all seriousness.

"She just broke up with Fletcher, she's gone through a rough time. She's just a bit unstable" he said.

Skulduggery looked at him as if he was an idiot.

"You knew it was going to happen Skulduggery. We joked about it a few years ago. What exactly is the problem"

The skeleton continued to stare at him.

Ghastly tried to understand the message he was sending but then it hit him.

"Oh" he said, "Wow"

Skulduggery adjusted his position in an agitated way.

"That- That however was not expected" Ghastly said and Skulduggery groaned.

Skulduggery began to fiddle with anything around him- salt and pepper shakers, napkins, anything.

"Well in that case" he started, "What the hell is the problem?"

Skulduggery sighed.

"Everything is wrong"

"What? The age difference? Tanith and I have that too you know. Or the whole skeleton thing? Valkyrie isn't stupid Skulduggery"

"I'm wrong"

"You sound like a hopeless teenager"

"I'm serious Ghastly. Imagine Ghastly- if you had a daughter would you like her to be with someone like me? Bad things follow me"

"Probably not- but my daughter wouldn't want the same things as Valkyrie"

"Valkyrie doesn't know what she wants"

"She does. And she wants you. And apparently you want her too" he said.

Skulduggery gave him a face as if what he was saying had actual reasoning.

"The question is what will you do?"

The empty sockets didn't move.

**A/N: Hmmm... I haven't planned this out I actually don't know what will happen yet. What do you think?**

**Review :P I miss having reviews.**

**I don't own Skulduggery Pleasant**


	2. Chapter 2

_I Fell in Love with a Skeleton_

_In all his undead beauty_

_But he had no heart to beat for me_

_So do I follow my own or leave it?_

She cried that night till she was too tired to cry anymore. When she woke up she wanted to cry again but she didn't feel like she was the type of person to cry so she didn't.

She knew what needed to be done. Skulduggery and her couldn't stay away from each other forever. They were best friends, partners, it was just that it turned out that 'lover' wasn't to be put on that list. They would put this in the past and Valkyrie would move on. Just like that.

They would talk things over and things would be as normal. She just had to see him first and she knew he knew this too and hopefully it would be all over soon.

But she didn't see him and he didn't come.

It was times like this that she really wished Tanith was around. And with everything that happened with China she couldn't go to her. And not Ghastly because Skulduggery would've gone to him. In that case there was only one other person she felt like she could talk to.

"Well" said Uncle Gordon, "I can't say that this is a topic I expected to come to talk about"

Valkyrie was on the sofa with her knees under her chin and her arms pulling her together into an egg form.

"Hearing that your niece fancies an old friend is a bit of surprising news" he mused but stopped after seeing Valkyrie's unamused.

"So you told him you like him"

"Love"

"Love? Well don't worry it doesn't make too much difference"

Valkyrie laughed coldly, rocking herself back and forth.

"What do I do?" she asked. Gordon sensed the hurt in her voice. "I want to see him. Tell him it doesn't matter, to go on as normal"

She stopped rocking herself.

"But he's avoiding me" she said with disgust.

Gordon looked at Valkyrie. Such a young woman. Full of life and beauty. _I guess getting rejected isn't what she is used to _he thought.

"Well, it's Skulduggery he has his reasons. Normally I would throw a punch or to for breaking my dear niece's heart but in my case it is not possible. And if he's not going to do anything I guess it's up to you" he concluded.

Valkyrie looked up.

"But I'm scared" she said.

Suddenly she laughed.

"Scared" she said in a disappointing tone, "I've killed Gods I've almost died too many times to count and the list will probably continue. But I'm too scared to talk to him"

"Well love is pretty scary at times"

"Why does it have to be?"

"So you can create something beautiful out of it?"

Valkyrie stared at him blatantly.

"That sounds so corny"

Gordon laughed and she laughed with him. Glad that he had lightened the mood he continued to comment on the situation.

"Besides, the reasons that you say Skulduggery brought up are not surprising. Hell you neck deep in danger already, your life will have no normality whatsoever. He's using excuses which are quite weak. Isn't that proof that he's scared too?"

"So you're saying that he's scared as well?" she asked.

Gordon shrugged.

"I don't know what Skulduggery thinks. I don't even know how I feel about if he might return your feelings"

"He told me he didn't love me"

"But he does. You know he does. It might not be in a romantic form but he does love you" he argued.

Valkyrie stopped rocking and collapsed back, sighing loudly.

"Okay- pros and cons. What are they?" she asked.

"Well" said Gordon, "Cons- He doesn't think of you in that way, things never go back to normal and force you two apart"

Valkyrie groaned, she (quite obviously) didn't wish for any of those to happen.

"And pros" he continued, "He feels the same way, you live happily ever after- as strangely as you can- and, I have a new idea for a story about two people, partners, best friends, lovers who battle evil side by side"

Valkyrie laughed again. Gordon walked over to her resting a hand on her shoulder without it passing through her.

"Though that would be slightly odd at first. A good friend and my niece together. And you're so terribly young"

"I'm not as young as you think Uncle Gordon"

"Yes but there are still matters which you are too young to deal with" he said and Valkyrie thought she could see a sort of blush.

Valkyrie laughed again wondering if she should torture her uncle with some mental images but she was now too relaxed to do anything of the sort.

"You'll know what to do darling" he said, "After all you have my amazing wisdom"

"Thanks Uncle Gordon" she said, and though she knew he wasn't really there in a physical form she swear she could feel his hand and all the comfort it gave.

_I Fell in Love with a Skeleton_

_And his bony exterior _

_I shall push on forward, with my love_

_I shall not be overcome by fear_

**A/N: The title I Fell in Love with a Skeleton is a pun of the title of a song **_**I Fell in Love with an Alien**_** by the Kelly Family. Yes the song was made 15 years ago but I like it... take a listen...**

**I did write the poem myself though XD**

**Review dammit review!**

**Last chapter is the next one. **


	3. Chapter 3

"Hi" she said as she reached the Bentley. Skulduggery had messaged her to meet him. And though she had a couple of hours to prepare for this moment she still felt anxious.

Skulduggery looked up at her.

"Hi, I thought we could take a drive" he said and she nodded biting against the coldness of the night. Though Dublin wasn't the most interesting place to take a drive Valkyrie had a feeling that it wasn't going to matter.

They entered the car in silence and Skulduggery revved the engine.

"We can forget about it" he motioned.

"We both know that's not possible" she argued immediately.

Skulduggery entered the road, turned the headlights on and started to drive though dim lit streets.

"We can wait until it dies out?" he tried again.

"Skulduggery. I'm with almost every single day. It would take years for that to happen"

He said nothing they exited the house filled roads and started to pass by small shops that clumped together.

"Why all these suggestions" she asked, "That you know yourself wouldn't work. Why are you being so unusual?"

Her voice sounded a little too hopefully for Skulduggery. But he hadn't trained her not to pick up on these things.

"Well" his voice went tight and then silent.

He glanced at her. She wasn't looked at him but outside the window to the stores whose lights had been turned off a while ago. He felt a pang where his heart would be.

"I'm sorry" she said.

"Don't be" he said quickly, "We knew this was going to happen someday"

She turned her head.

"You did?" she said horrified. Skulduggery didn't look at her.

"Well after all you've been through and unsettling things you've experienced I figured you'd eventually want to find someone who'd- understand your troubles" he answered trying to get rid of any emotion in his voice which might exist.

"I don't love you because of-" she started but she stopped because whatever she wanted to say about it wouldn't help the situation.

"It doesn't matter you don't feel the same why about me anyway" she shrugged it off and went back to staring through the window.

Skulduggery sighed his head bent forward and Valkyrie knew if he wasn't driving at the moment he would've put his head on the steering wheel.

"I love you Valkyrie"

Valkyrie looked up. 

"What?"

They came to a yellow light though there was no one else there on the road Skulduggery stopped anyway.

"I love you"

Valkyrie looked at him in disbelief.

"You don't have to say that just to-"

"But I do it's truth"

"Oh please Skulduggery. You do love me but not in the same way. I'm not a little girl I can get over some heartache, you don't need to-"

She could never clearly recall this point when she looked back on it in the future.

Just the sensations.

Cold hard bone on her lips.

But the warmest feeling she had ever felt.

Were her eyes open or closed?

She didn't remember.

She remembered a hand in her hair tilting her neck forward.

She didn't remember how long time had passed.

But knew was that they were alone on that street, no one to disturb them and that when she could finally grasp what was around her the lights they had stopped at had gone from red to green.

And they still didn't move.

He let go gently. Leaned back to his seat. Glanced at her shocked face but he turned quickly back to the road.

Valkyrie put her attention to the road as well.

He did love her.

The fact hit her hard.

Skulduggery wouldn't do something like that without feelings. He was too much of a gentleman. That explained all the excuses, everything- she'd just been too scared to think that he was making them because he did have feelings.

She didn't know what to say but knew exactly what she wanted to say.

She kept looking at his face for a sign on what to say to break the silence.

"Give me a year" he finally said.

She looked at him for more.

"Or so" he said a bit more uncertain, "I'm just not used to the idea of"

He stopped.

"Okay" she said. This surprised him and he turned to see if she was serious.

"I understand where you're coming from" she said, "Everything his happening here and now and there isn't any time for things like _this. _ And this is new"

"Good" Skulduggery said a little relieved.

"But Skulduggery"

"Yes?"

"You better not move on to anyone else during that time okay?"

"Don't worry" he said with humour to his voice. She had missed that tone.

"I know I'm spectacular and you're afraid of losing me but you don't have to worry about that"

She laughed.

"It's going to be tough ahead of us" he commented.

Valkyrie nodded.

She knew this. She knew there would be a load of troubles ahead of them and they would only continue to come. But she didn't feel so scared anymore.

Now that she knew how he felt.

Everything seemed like just another stage to Happily Ever After.

END

**A/N: Yep that's it.**

**I was very drifty with ideas in this one and I'm glad I actually could finish it alright :P**

**Next story I'll will post is called **_**Seducing Mr. Pleasant **_**(DON'T ANYONE DARE STEAL THE TITLE) and will be more action, more mature and more... suggestive...**

**So look out for it. (Or just go ahead and put me on Author Alert, it's not that hard, just a link at the bottom of the page)**

**Till next time.**

**REVIEW NOW! (they maketh me happy)**


End file.
